Seanad Éireann debate -
Friday, 10 May 1991

Vol. 128 No. 16

Adjournment Matter. - African Famine.

Dr. Upton

I thank the Minister for taking the trouble to come to the House to listen to this debate. There is no doubt that the situation in Africa is now extremely grim. It is estimated that 27 million Africans face starvation and famine. Of 120 million children born each year in Africa, 11 million will not reach their first birthday. Five million children in Africa die each year from dehydration, a disorder which is simple to treat and which would not pose the slightest medical difficulty in western society; 40,000 to 50,000 children in Africa die each day from preventable diseases.

It is estimated that more than one million tonnes of grain are needed to prevent this catastrophe, this at a time when 20 million tonnes of grain are stored in the European Community and the situation in Africa is deteriorating rapidly. Last September it was quite clear to people working in Sudan that that country was facing an impending disaster. The European Community has taken some action, but not enough. The amount of grain provided for Africa in April amounted to 2.5 per cent of the amount needed, this at a time when there have been tremendous developments in technology. For example, during the recent Gulf War the Americans launched 28,000 bombing missions. There is no doubt that Africa faces a huge problem and given our limited resources we will not be able to make a significant impact. However, it is imperative that we do our share and are seen to be making every possible effort to see to it that this is a key item on the agenda of the European Community. I ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make this a key item in his dealings with the European Community and to stimulate the Community into taking action to alleviate the terrible problems facing the people of Africa.

I have to say Ireland's capacity to do that has been diminished given our record on Third World aid. It was depressing to hear on the radio this morning that we are like second last in the tables of contributions to world aid produced by the OECD. However, I do not want to emphasise the negative aspects of Ireland's contribution record on world aid. What is important now is that we adopt a positive approach and encourage the European Community to take action to prevent this catastrophe.

In the near future the Labour Party will introduce a Private Member's Bill in this House and will propose amendments to the Finance Bill in the other House which would allow companies and organisations in Ireland to write off contributions made to Third World charities against their tax liabilities.

As I said innocent people face starvation. What is most depressing is that it looks as if the problem is going to get worse, essentially because western society has neglected and shown indifference to this problem and because of the way agriculture is structured in African countries. Western society has a tremendous capacity to make immediate contributions in aid which would at least stall the impending catastrophe and give us time to take the necessary steps to prevent a recurrence of this dreadful cycle of famines and crises in Africa. What is most depressing is that people in western societies, including our own, are not as aware or as concerned about this problem as they should be. Irish people do not seem to be conscious of this problem although they showed tremendous generosity in similar circumstances in the past.

I hope the Government will take the lead and make an issue of this at EC level and use every ounce of their influence, particularly in the United Nations and in the European Community to stress the urgency of the matter. At the risk of sounding simplistic, I urge the Minister to ensure that some of the surplus goods which present the EC with tremendous problems are redirected to alleviate this problem in Africa.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Mr. Calleary)

I am glad of the opportunity given to me by Senator Upton to address the House today on the critical situation facing so many people in Africa, a situation which, as the Senator said, looks grim.

The signs of a large-scale food crisis in sub-Saharan Africa have been evident since the end of 1990. Even prior to that there were disturbing indicators which led Ireland, during its Presidency of the EC Council of Ministers, to seek an exchange of views at the Development Council in May 1990 on prospects for Ethiopia. Since then the Development Council of November last underlined the real danger of an unprecedented famine. Finally the Foreign Affairs Council of 15 April last "recognised the need for an increase in emergency food aid (over and above existing budget resources) ... and instructed the Commission to submit as quickly as possible a concrete proposal for such an increase".

The famine in Africa in which perhaps 30 million people may be in danger of starvation is at least as serious as that of 1984-85 when similar numbers of people were affected. Indeed, it may be that the present crisis is unprecedented in its scale because starvation threatens in at least 12 African countries, several of which have to deal also with the needs of refugees fleeing from civil conflict in neighbouring countries while themselves faced with both natural and man-made disaster.

It must be said at the outset that the European Community has been prominent among donors in responding to this crisis. According to the latest estimates from the Commission, there will be an overall cereal requirement of 4.5 million tonnes. Pledges made so far, excluding those which are expected as a result of the latest initiative by the Community, leave a shortfall of 1.5 million tonnes. The situation is most serious in the Horn of Africa — Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia — where about 15 million people are at risk. Many other countries, in particular Angola, Mozambique and Liberia are facing a worsening situation. The most immediate priority is to meet the needs of the next few months when stocks of food aid, especially in Sudan, will become depleted.

Pledges continue to be announced and I am hopeful — although only cautiously so — that the gap between needs and supplies is becoming narrower. Within the past few days there have been certain, unofficial, indications that this is happening. We all hope that it can be completely bridged.

Apart from the need for more assistance there are also, of course, the additional problems of transport and delivery to the people most affected. It must be said that the delivery of aid supplies up to now has not been adequate. This has been due to a significant extent to factors outside the control of donors, in particular local civil conflict situations.

Up to recently, two-thirds of the needs in Ethiopia and half of the needs in Sudan were covered by pledges, although some of these remained to be confirmed or delivered. Taking all the countries affected, the European Community and its member states were supplying over 1 million tonnes of food — a very significant proportion of the overall needs of 4.5 million. This compared with about 2 million tonnes from all other donors.

Following the Foreign Affairs Council meeting to which I referred the community launched a new special programme which will mobilise at least 400,000 and perhaps up to 600,000 additional tonnes of food. This quantity is likely to occupy the full capacity of the internal transport infrastructures as well as the ability of the international agencies and non-government organisations to handle and deliver it over the next few months.

Ireland will play its full part in this initiative. We will contribute in the region of £1 million — one-third of which will be in an additional voluntary contribution over and above our share of the cost to the Community.

This is in addition to over £1.1 million pounds contributed from the disaster relief fund since the beginning of 1990 in response to the emergency — most of which has been targeted to Sudan and Ethiopia. Assistance from the disaster relief fund has been distributed to a wide variety of relief agencies, both Irish and International, which are involved in emergency relief operations. Over and above our allocations from the disaster relief fund, £250,000 is being provided to the World Food Programme in Sudan.

While there is no room for complacency, I am now more optimistic that this latest initiative by the EC may be followed by corresponding action by others. There have been recent approaches by other donors proposing additional co-operation between them, the Community and its member states. If the remainder of the international community also pledges to meet a significant proportion of the outstanding needs we may yet avert a disaster on the scale that we all fear. There is no doubt that more needs to be done.

The Government are of course determined to pay the utmost attention to developments and to promote further action on the part of the Community and its member states as necessary.

I am sure that all Senators will join with Senator Upton in saying that we must continue to do whatever is possible to avert the catastrophe which threatens. I think it can be agreed that we have played our part in that regard.

The Seanad adjourned at 3.05 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 15 May, 1991.